MARY ROBINSON
MARY ROBINSON RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1: You have deep commitment to helping people in need. It is interesting that in our busy lives we all have the opportunity to walk away from helping others, and it is equally interesting that some people don’t take those steps away from others in need. What were the main factors in your life that encouraged you to walk toward people in need and devote a significant part of your life to helping others? Please elaborate some about each factor.
RESPONSE: A significant factor in walking towards people is probably a combination of how I was raised (being of service, giving back, donating to charity, volunteering,) my innate temperament and personality type (INFP for Myers-Briggs fans!) which has me inclined to look for work that provides meaning and helps people, and the fact that I found a mission to serve directly related to a personal experience in my life when I was 14, the death of my dad.
We were raised in the beautiful small town of Madison, NJ and attended St. Vincent’s church. We always had to donate 10% of our allowance to the church collection and I also observed my parents being involved with various church ministries whether it was collecting furniture for a family burned out of their home in Newark, financially supporting Covenant House, taking in children through foster care, etc. As soon as I turned 13 I became a volunteer candy striper at the local hospital and have been volunteering ever since.
Through the volunteer work we did as a family early in my life it became clear to me that not everyone got to grow up in a town like Madison – with good schools, safe neighborhoods, and an attentive community. I came to understand that it was just “the luck of the drawer” and happenstance that landed me where I was and that it was my obligation to help, serve, and financially support others less fortunate.
In thinking about this question I realize it came down to my Catholic faith and up-bringing and my parent’s role-modeling that oriented me towards being of service and feeling called to give back.
QUESTION 2: When you first started your nonprofit, what were the main challenges? Please explain the main challenges and how you overcame them.
RESPONSE: The first nonprofit I started, Good Grief, the main challenge was fundraising and having to work full-time at another job while working to start another organization. So the challenge was fundraising for something that didn’t exist yet, and being spread thin trying to do what felt like two full-time jobs. This is a common challenge for many who start an organization from scratch. The way this was addressed was I had a small group of dedicated friends of the organization who became the board members and supported the idea to bring together a group of approximately 60 stake holders over the course of a weekend for a Future Search™ conference. This gave us a larger body of people interested in helping.
Then when starting Imagine seven years later the main challenge this time to starting something from scratch was recruiting board members who understood the role of the board and did what was asked of them; finding the space we needed to operate our program; and recruiting and training the base of volunteers we needed to run our programs. Perhaps most founders would say fundraising but we were fortunate to have started Imagine in a town that had an abundance of wealth and volunteers, and a history of being community-oriented. We also had an initial investor who was the catalyst for the start of Imagine, having seen the results of the work I did founding a similar organization in another county and who was willing to invest to bring the same program to his beloved community.
The challenge of recruiting a board and getting them trained and educated and focused together on the vision, was addressed by bringing in two outside board coaches in the early years to run strategic planning retreats and board education. It helped to have an outside “expert” who they found they could listen to and trust. I was saying the same thing as the consultants but they seemed to need to hear it from outside “experts.” This was frustrating but one of the things I learned in doing this work was patience, letting go of ego, and staying focused on the higher good.
The other two challenges were addressed by asking those folks who had become Ambassadors of our mission to invite people to information sessions in their homes about our missions. This allowed us to recruit volunteers, inspire donors, and live our mission of education and advocacy on behalf of grieving children. People grew to know us and trust us through these information sessions or “tours” of our mission. It was through this I met the superintendent of schools who gave us office space in the Board of Education building until we could find a space of our own. The space of our own was found by meeting with various clergy in town to explain our mission and our need for space. Meeting with clergy also benefitted us by being a marketing tool – clergy always know who the grieving families are and were able to let families know of our program.
QUESTION 3: What suggestions would you give to university students who are committed to helping others in need and are considering starting a nonprofit?
RESPONSE: The advice I would give to university students who are committed to helping others in need and are considering starting a nonprofit would be to find a cause about which you are passionate and see who else or what other organizations are addressing that need or serving that mission. Find out if there is a need for a new organization and/or if you have a unique solution to addressing the problem. Also, volunteer! Volunteer starting immediately for any nonprofit to get experience in how nonprofits function. A nonprofit is a business so take courses in business management, leadership, strategic planning, and public speaking and communications. But truly the best piece of advice is to start volunteering, ideally in the field in which you are interested, but it can also be for any mission.
I would learn everything you can about your cause – what is the problem you are trying to solve, and what is working and what is not working. Become a subject matter expert (SME) about your mission and learn how to clearly articulate the problem, the solution, and the gap you will fill between the two.
The other thing is to do a ton of networking. Talk with people in the nonprofit sector. Ask to conduct information interviews to learn about the role of an Executive Director and of Founders. Consider taking a course or workshop in fundraising or attend a conference or symposium on fundraising and development.
But most of all be clear about where and how you want to make a difference, what problem you want to solve, and how your solution or mission will transform human lives and the world.